As you have all no doubt heard by now, Derek McKay has stepped down for sending messages online to a 16 year old boy.

Calling the boy ‘cute’,and inviting him to dinner, McKay has admitted that his conduct was unacceptable. For once, he is correct. It is unfortunate that the only time in his political career that he was correct, was at the end of it.

With respect to his continued membership of the SNP, he has been suspended. The leaders of the other parties have suggested that he either steps down, or is removed from office, effectively immediately.

Jackson Carlaw has pointed out that what Derek McKay has done is grooming, and he is correct. It is disgusting what McKay has done and it is unfortunate that a child has been affected by this.

The Sun was first to break this story, and they have cited that there will be a follow up to this as well.

This is actually a worrying time for the SNP. With the upcoming trial for Alex Salmond next month, and the fact that another member of the party in the last year has had to step aside due to misconduct over lurid messages, it does make people wonder why they should vote for these people. Remember, McKay has been shouting the odds and saying that independence is the only way forward. Can we really trust what he says when he has had such a terrible, abhorrent lack of judgement with respect to this school boy?